Staff Reports
Florida has the second-most Black-owned businesses in the country, according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
The Florida Chamber on Wednesday announced that it had started tracking the number of Black-owned businesses in the state and including the ranking on its Florida Scorecard website.
According to the Chamber, there are more than 250,000 Black-owned businesses in Florida and they collectively employ 77,136 Floridians and represent an annual payroll of $2.63 billion.
“The good news is Florida is currently #2 in the nation, with the #1 spot close in reach,” the Chamber said in a news release.
However, the pandemic has presented many challenges for Black-owned businesses, with 77% of businesses categorizing their financial situation as “fair” or “poor.”
The update is part of the Florida Equality of Opportunity Initiative’s Florida Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Project, an ongoing effort undertaken by the Florida Chamber to bring awareness to the economic impact of Florida’s Black-owned businesses.
The Florida Scorecard website was also updated to track the number of women- and Hispanic-owned businesses in the state. Florida ranks No. 2 in those categories as well. The Chamber said in a news release that it will analyze data on those businesses in the coming months.
The Florida Scorecard is an online tool developed by the Chamber that tracks key metrics related to Florida’s current and future economic circumstances.
It lists Florida’s current position in several areas, such as educational attainment and unemployment, and indicates whether the data is improving or worsening.
